


The Etiquette of Russes

by Muccamukk



Category: Captain America (Comics), Marvel 616
Genre: 1920s, Ficlet, First Meetings, Gen, Growing up on the Lower East Side, New York City
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-18
Updated: 2019-01-18
Packaged: 2019-10-12 07:16:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17463035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Muccamukk/pseuds/Muccamukk
Summary: It'd cost two cents Mr. O'Mara's corner store, and this was the first time Steve had had a nickel to spare in a month. He planned to enjoy it, strange boy or no.





	The Etiquette of Russes

**Author's Note:**

> Written for more joy day for actonbell's prompt, "Steve and Arnie, happy together."

"You ain't doing that right!"

Steve clutched his treat close to his chest and hunched his shoulders. He'd booked it all the way to Christie Street to keep it safe from the Bloome Streeter gang, and it just about figured that one of the Christie Streeters would swipe it now.

But when Steve looked up the boy he saw didn't look like a gang member. He was maybe a year older than Steve, so probably in third grade, and chubby with spit-combed hair starting to curl in the afternoon sun. He had his arms folded, and his face creased in an expression of deep judgement. "I said,"--here he emphasised each word--"You ain't doing that right. Do you speak English?" He repeated the question in Yiddish, and probably would have tried German or Italian, if Steve hadn't held up a hand.

"I speak English," Steve admitted, "And I'm doing just fine, thanks." The boy didn't move any closer, so Steve went back to licking the whipped cream off the top of his Charlotte russe, carefully avoiding the cherry on top. It'd cost two cents Mr. O'Mara's corner store, and this was the first time Steve had had a nickel to spare in a month. He planned to enjoy it, strange boy or no.

The other boy sighed, asked what street Steve was from, and sighed again at the answer. "Figures you can't do nothing right up there."

"Well how's it supposed to be done?" Steve asked. He'd gotten down to the cake at the bottom, which no one really wanted on its own, so he figured he was safe from looting. Unless someone wanted to give him a pounding on principle, but this boy didn't seem like the type.

"You're supposed to push the cake up, and eat it sideways," the boy explained, miming with two fingers through an imagined paper cup and tipping his head to one side.

Steve thought it was about the dumbest thing he'd ever seen. "How come?"

"Well then you get it all together," the boy explained easily. He'd clearly put a good deal of thought into it. "Instead of being stuck with just the boring old cake at the end."

"Huh," Steve said. The cake part was indeed slightly stale. He had three cents left from the nickel--and had already given its twin to Ma--but he couldn't reasonably get another treat, not if he wanted to save up for a funny book. "I'll try it next time."

"You won't," the boy said, still scowling.

"I will!" Steve stood, crumpling the cup in his hand.

"Nahuh, you'll forget. Here." The boy held out his hand to Steve. "I'll get you one, make sure you do it right this time."

Steve took the boy's hand. "I'm Steve," he said, since it seemed like they were going to be pals now.

"Arnie," the boy answered. "Come on!"


End file.
